Quality
assessment processes are open to review and scrutiny.
Assessment processes are open when teachers are involved in the planning and designing of tasks, when students know what they are expected to learn and how they will be expected to show their learning, and when parents are partners in conversations about their children's learning. The climate of openness is further enhanced when the purposes and uses of assessment are communicated to all involved.
In an open assessment process:
Quality assessment programs involve teachers in all aspects of assessment design, implementation and interpretation. Effective teachers create a climate of openness in assessment by including students, parents, colleagues, and others in planning and developing assessments. In instances where external assessments are used, teachers are aware of the focus of those assessments and take part in the interpretations of results. Open assessment engages teachers in collegial groups to look at student work across classrooms and schools to gain a clearer understanding of common learning targets and criteria, therefore improving the assessment process in their individual classrooms.
Quality assessment involves students in the development of criteria used to assess their performance. This enables students to become skillful assessors of their own work and to set learning goals based on their performance. Students understand the expectations and the nature of assessments that will be used to portray their learning. Sharing sample assessments and scoring rubrics with students is part of an open assessment process and aids students in the development of a deeper understanding of assessment.
Parents are important partners in quality assessment. Assessment information is used by parents to judge their children's progress and is the basis for many other important decisions, such as whether to encourage their children's aspirations for post-secondary schooling, celebrate their children's learning, or demand improvement. Assessment information also shapes parents' opinions about teachers and the overall quality of the school program.
Ongoing communication with parents is a key component of a quality assessment program. Teachers and students assume responsibility for sharing the learning with parents and family. This communication is clear, open, and inviting, providing opportunities for parents and family to be involved in their child's learning. In addition to teachers, students and parents, openness in assessment invites the involvement of the community as partners in the assessment and improvement of the educational process.